I was born and grew up in South Africa's Lowveld region in Mpumalanga Province. After school, I spent a year as a Rotary exchange student in Germany and in 1991 started my studies in Communications at the Rand Afrikaans University (now called the University of Johannesburg). My friends and I travelled to Israel and later completed a two-year stint working and living in London. On my return in 1998, I decided to go back to university in Johannesburg for a BA in Languages - majoring in Afrikaans and German. An honours degree in Afrikaans as well as a master's followed. In 2005 I relocated to Cape Town and met the love of my love - the gifted pianist Clinton Claasen. In December I graduted with a PhD in Afrikaans from the Univerity of Cape Town. I work as a copy editor.